1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer-enhanced entertainment. More particularly, the present invention relates to utilizing a computer virtual environment for production of a real-life simulation environment.
2. Background Art
Theme parks and fairgrounds have been traditional venues for the more adventurous among us to experience the excitement of a thrill ride, or to test our physical prowess in a game of skill. With advances in technology, those rides and games have evolved considerably from the comparatively simple midway Ferris wheel or arcade shooting gallery of the past. It is no longer unusual for a visitor of a modern theme park, for example, to encounter sophisticated real-life simulation rides or gaming attractions that are so realistic as to create virtual reality experiences for their users.
Because of their emphasis on verisimilitude, rides and games offering real-life simulation environments may be heavily reliant on costly and complex supporting technologies requiring extensive synchronization and substantial information processing capabilities. As a result, those attractions are likely to be time consuming and expensive to develop, making their implementation a protracted process. For such reasons, new rides and games utilizing real-life simulations tend to be infrequently introduced, while those already in service may be operated over a span of years, or even decades, in order to make their implementation economically practicable. Consequently, these sophisticated attractions may not be responsive to rapidly changing user tastes and preferences.
A recent competitor for the attention of the mostly young and technologically savvy public to whom realistic game or ride simulations may primarily appeal, are computer virtual environments, accessible over the Internet, for example. Computer based games and simulations utilize computer graphics applications to mimic a three-dimensional real-life environment, using the two-dimensional presentation available through a computer monitor or mobile device display screen. Because, from the standpoint of the provider of these forms of entertainment, the computer supported environments are software based, rather than requiring the combination of software, hardware, and mechanical devices needed to support a theme park game or ride, for example, they are considerably less costly to make available. As a result, there are a greater variety of computer virtual environments from which to choose, and a more frequent rate of introduction of new or varied computer entertainment based on those environments, than are found in the theme park attraction context.
An additional advantage of computer games or simulations over their theme park counterparts is the extent to which a user can modify the parameters of the computer virtual environment to conform to their own preferences. For example, while a conventional real-life simulation ride, such as Disneyland's Space Mountain or Indiana Jones Adventure, is substantially the same experience for all riders, a computer game environment might be customizable by its user. A computer game may invite a player to interactively generate the gaming environment by selecting game characteristics. A user may be prompted to define the type of environment in which the game or simulation will occur, for example, in a jungle setting, or in outer space. The user may further determine the types of icons used, the events for which game points are to be awarded, and point valuations for alternative actions, for instance. As a result, a computer game or simulation customized as described may seem more personal, is almost certainly more responsive to user preferences, and is more flexible in the face of changes in those preferences, than are most theme park attractions.
Despite providing visually complex entertainment and being more flexible and responsive to user tastes than theme park attractions, however, computer virtual environments are inevitably constrained by their format. Consequently, they fail to provide the visceral thrill associated with a real-life simulation experience, which might include physical motion, for example. As a result, the conventional state of the art is such that a prospective user of a game or simulation may be faced with a mutually exclusive choice. On the one hand, he or she can relinquish realism in favor of the flexibility and variety available through a computer virtual environment. Alternatively, he or she can choose to enjoy the realism available from a sophisticated real-life simulation environment, but must assume the role of a passive consumer to derive that sensory benefit.
Thus, although both of the conventional approaches for implementing gaming and simulation environments described previously may be seen to embody desirable aspects, neither optimally satisfies consumer demands for an entertainment product that concurrently possesses sensory richness and customizability. Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing an entertainment environment having the realism of a real-life simulation, as well as the flexibility and responsiveness to user preferences characteristic of a simulation relying on a computer virtual environment.